Sunday, February 25, 2018

On The Air: Inspector Gadget (2015)

More than 30 years after his debut, Inspector Gadget is back on the job.

Canada's DHX Media has revived the series, which marks the return of the cyborg detective for the first time since the passing of his original portrayer, Don Adams. Ivan Sherry does his best mimic of Adams, but, as you'll see, it's the same old Gadget, although his nemesis Dr. Claw isn't quite as evil as he once was, and Claw now has a nephew, Talon, who secretly is interested in Gadget's niece, Penny, who now officially is her uncle's partner.

The series finally has an American home, as it's currently airing on Universal Kids (formerly Sprout). The 4th (current) season began this winter.

Curiously, while virtually all of the roles were recast, the most glaring change is that Frank Welker, the original Dr. Claw, wasn't invited back. Neither was Cree Summer, as Tara Strong takes over as Penny. Also, Derek McGrath (ex-My Secret Identity) is on board as the new voice of Chief Quimby.

In this episode, Dr. Claw & Talon steal all of Metro City's water, but have different ideas about using it.

Edit, 11/4/23: Had to change the video. In this clip, Gadget goes undercover in prison.


Contrary to the original 1983-6 series, this version follows the current trend with two 15 minute installments for each half hour. 

Rating: C.

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